


Leap and Bound

by thecouchwitch



Category: Prince of Stride: Alternative (Anime)
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, or is it? we can't know for sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:57:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6255511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecouchwitch/pseuds/thecouchwitch





	Leap and Bound

Kaede stood by the gates of Honan Academy, leaning against the wall facing the street, clutching a plain box tied with blue ribbon to his chest. He could feel his heart beat hard against his ribs as though it wanted to escape the area just as much as he did, and swallowing felt like there was a stone in his throat. He felt like he was sweating, he wasn't, and he had showered and put on extra deodorant after training that day to make sure he didn't, but he was certain he was going to break into a sweat any moment because he always sweated when he was nervous. 

Normally he wasn't this nervous when seeing Kyosuke. Sure his heart would jump whenever someone so much as mentioned his name, but it was a good nervous, an excited nervous, a nervous that didn't make him feel like he wanted to run away.  
This was different to seeing Kyosuke at Stride events though, those events were decidedly platonic. When they met for Stride, he was there to be Kyosuke's supporter or friend or worthy rival, and they each had their teammates there as well. But this? It wasn't about Stride, he was seeking Kyosuke out at a time when Kyosuke might not want to see him, when he could reject him because he might not be interested in seeing him outside of Stride.  
Of course, he could just run away, but he wouldn't. A man who ran away on Valentines Day did not deserve the respect of someone like Kyosuke Kuga, and losing his respect would hurt more than being turned down.  
Besides, he thought as he looked down at the box in his hands, he wouldn't let his hard work go to waste. Kyosuke probably got a gift from half the students in Honan on Valentines Day, not to mention all the fans he had outside the school, so he had to make sure his gift stood out. He'd spent weeks researching low-fat chocolate recipes, then days practising making it and getting the taste and look just right. He'd poured his metaphorical blood, sweat, and tears into it, and he refused to listen to that voice in the back of his head that was telling him that it was pointless. 

Some familiar voices cut through Kaede's thoughts. He jumped in surprise, struggled to compose himself, and then hid behind the wall, peeking around it so he could see who was coming out of the building.  
It was Heath, Riku, and Kyosuke. They were wearing their school uniforms, and Kyosuke was letting his hair fly loose, the silvery strands dangling down to waist and shimmering in the golden light of the evening. The smallest smile graced his lips as he listened to the banter of his two team mates, and the sight of his handsome face made Kaede's heart leap to his throat; sometimes he couldn't even believe how gorgeous Kyosuke was.  
When he was younger, he'd often been confused about girls, and about how he was supposed to like them. Occasionally he'd see a handsome boy, and he'd think he'd feel for that boy what other people had told him he was supposed to be feeling for girls, and he'd crush that feeling down and try to forget the way his his heart would beat faster and his stomach would twist. Then in middle school he heard about Stride, and he discovered Kyosuke Kuga and watched videos of him, running faster and being more beautiful than should be possible, with his hair flying and his grey eyes shining with intensity, and he stopped caring that he wasn't supposed to like boys. Kyosuke was more beautiful than any girl he had ever met and that was simply a fact of life, not a mistake he had to be shameful of.

The three boys were getting closer to the gate. It wasn't ideal, Kaede had been hoping to get Kyosuke alone, but this was his only opportunity. He took a deep breath and jumped out from behind the fence.

“Kuga-san!” 

The three boys stopped and looked at him in surprise. Riku smiled brightly. “Hey, Okomura, what-”

“Sorry.” Kaede said quickly. He knew he was being impolite not greeting them properly, but his heart was hammering into his ribs and he was certain he was pouring sweat now; he wanted to get this done before he did something like pass out or panic and run away screaming. He dashed forward to stand in front of Kyosuke, bowed as low as he could go, and held the box straight out towards him. “You don't have to return my feelings but please accept them!”  
Kaede was bowing so low he couldn't see Kyosuke's face, and he didn't dare look up to see if he was happy or annoyed. He could hear his own pulse in his ears, and every moment that went by felt like a year, until finally he felt Kyosuke take the box from his hands. Only then did the first-year look up. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look angry either, just surprised.

“Thank you for treating me kindly!” Kaede bowed again more quickly, then turned and sprinted from the school yard, leaving the three Honan boys bewildered in his dust. He didn't want to wait for a reply.  
Kyosuke was amazing, and gorgeous, and talented, and older, and he could fall in love with any beautiful girl he wanted. Although Kaede had confidence in himself he knew Kyosuke was unlikely to think of him as anything but a rival, but he had shown Kyosuke just how much he meant to him, and that was enough.

-


End file.
